As the weather gets cooler and autumn is underway, I love cozying up with a warm blanket, a mug of hot apple cider, a good book, and filling my home with all the wonderful smells of fall. Think pumpkin spice, mulled cider and snickerdoodle cookies. Do those scents make you get all the fall feels?

They do for me. But I will tell you what doesn’t give me all the feels, learning that one hour of burning a candle can produce the same harmful effects as smoking a single cigarette. What!?! I was in shock. So, before you light up that Pumpkin Spice candle beware.

The good thing is there is still a way to enjoy the scents of the season, all while creating a healthier home for your family.

Instead of lighting a candle and releasing fragrance into the air made from synthetic chemicals, phthalates, paraffin, and toxins such as benzene, why not get the same smells from diffusing essential oils? Those nasty toxins you are releasing into the air you are breathing in, so why not clear your air by purifying it, supporting immune and respiratory function, and increasing the oxygen in the air with diffusing? It is a no-brainer.

If you are afraid to jump on the essential oil wagon, let me be the first to tell you that once you start utilizing them, it all clicks (and I am always happy to help and be your personal resource). When my friend convinced me that I needed oils in my life, I bought the starter kit that contains 11 oils and a diffuser and thought, “I don’t know how much I will use these.” I am so happy to report how wrong I was!

Here are some of my favorite fall blends that will fill your home with seasonal goodness that is healthy for everyone. —And I bet the scents will lift your mood, too.

Hope you enjoy these blends in your home! Cider and donuts has been my combination of choice lately (I am diffusing it while I write this!).

What are your favorite fall scents?

[Also, I want to point out in my research on candles, I looked at a study by Dr. Andrew Sledd, who specializes in environmental toxicology. As well as, read an article on BBC News that cited a study done by South Carolina State University verifying the possibility that candles can be linked to cancer risk. The worst culprits in the candle world are scented paraffin-based candles, especially if they are in un-ventilated areas of the home. Also, I read a bunch on soy candles that said that close to 98% of the soy candles that are produced in the US are genetically modified. GMO soy is not the only problem, since many soy candles are a combination of soy and paraffin, so be sure if you are buying a soy candle it is clearly labelled 100% soy.]